Brand marketing strategies and consumer engagement

Marketing

Zoomerang v. Websurveyor

Zoomerang Online Survey Software offers marketers the ability to construct a variety of different types of surveys for a company's customers and employees, and general surveys on Twitter and Facebook. Companies can analyze the results and also post surveys on interactive sites like Facebook to solicit feedback from customers. Websurveyor is another software company that provides corporate subscribers with the ability to create online communities, as well as to create surveys disseminated to customers and employees online.

The primary difference between the two companies is that Zoomerang seems to offer a 'hipper' service, focused upon fostering general name recognition amongst already-popular social media sites, as well as generating surveys. While Zoomerang does offer the ability for results to be analyzed for more conventional marketing purposes, the focus of Zoomerang is also on securing a wider audience for companies by using surveys as de facto advertisements. In contrast, Websurveyor offers a service that creates an exclusive web-based enclave for employees and customers. Websurveyor would likely be more suitable for a B2B company, rather than a B2C company. Zoomerang's services are not just useful in securing information: they make users of social media sites more aware of the company using Zoomerang's services. If users are persuaded to give input to a company (such as participating in a poll to pick the next flavor of Ben & Jerry's ice cream) they are more often apt to feel invested in the company, and to purchase its products.

However, one of the problems of surveys is that individuals are becoming jaded and suspicious about receiving surveys in their in-boxes. Many people are suspicious about Internet scams, and the possibility that their responses will be used in an illicit manner. According to my friends, none of them respond to surveys sent by someone they do not know. They say their time is too valuable to waste filling out surveys online, and they are afraid of the potential security risks.

Q2. Try to find the U.S. market share for the following companies within minutes:

Home Depot: The main information I found was as follows: "I give Home Depot the edge here as it bests Lowe's in all three categories" (ROI, cash flow, operating expenses) (Moser 2009).

Burger King: Burger King's growth figures lag behind that of its rival McDonald's: According to News Daily on August 9, 2010 "Shares of McDonald's were up 1.5% at $72.85 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Earlier in the session, the shares reached $73.33, an all-time high since the chain went public in 1965 at $22.50 per share. Burger King rose 1.1% while Yum gained 1%." (Wahba 2010)

Marlboro: 35.4% U.S. market share, according to Tobacco.org.

Was this a difficult task? If so, why do you think it is this difficult?

The primary reason information is difficult to find for organizations with 'second class' competitor status such as Burger King, which has traditionally lagged behind McDonald's, is that these Cinderella companies not want to reinforce their 'always a bridesmaid, never a bride' status in relation to their primary competitors. Also, many aspects of 'market share' within industries can determine how a company is ranked, as Home Depot and Burger King sell a variety of products.

Home Depot information may also have been difficult to find because although it remains the stronger company, Lowes is still encroaching upon its dominance. Even investment analysts in the news do not wish to cause stock shares to fall by publicizing a company's weak performance, given that low expectations can cause stock value and revenue to fall even further, and create a self-fulfilling prophesy. The one exception to these generalizations is Marlboro, but its dominant market share is publicized by a tobacco watch group. Marlboro itself perhaps does not want to emphasize the fact it is the most popular brand in the United States because this might draw greater regulatory attention regarding its advertising and distribution. That is the reason that is market share is being publicized by anti-tobacco activists.

Q3. Taste test

For my taste test, I selected three cola brands that would not be immediately recognizable, based upon their appearance (This eliminated the possibility of comparing 7-Up and Coca-Cola, for example). I did a blind taste test of Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, and Dr. Pepper, labeled as a, B, and C. Almost every person in the taste test was able to pick out the distinctly sweet taste of Dr. Pepper. Coca-Cola and Pepsi were less obvious: while individuals were able to recognize that the sodas were traditional colas, some people thought that Pepsi was Diet Coke rather than regular Pepsi. Preference for 'liking' the different brands varied depending on how the respondent identified the soda. Individuals who liked Dr. Pepper or disliked Dr. Pepper registered a clear preference or lack thereof for the drink. People who thought that the 'cleaner' and lighter-tasting Pepsi was diet cola also referred to their regular drinking habits: 'I prefer diet to regular soda, and a is too sweet,' one person wrote. Conversely, another person preferred a (Coca-Cola), stating that he always chose regular soda.